Are some crops better suited to limited or deficit irrigation than others?
Some crops are drought and saline tolerant while others may flourish in a cooler or warmer climate. Additionally, some crops are more sensitive to moisture deficit during early growth while others are more sensitive to moisture deficit during mid-season or late-season growth. Pasture is a good example of this, where warm-season grasses perform better in Texas while cool-season fescue grows better in high altitude and cool temperatures. Cool-season, short-growth crops such as brown mustard, canola and camelina have become an essential component in on-farm agricultural water conservation strategies. They are known to use less water and allow more time to accumulate water prior to planting wheat, for example, to replace fallow in the High Plains of western United States. Choosing crops based on their plant-water requirements as well as crop rotation and fallow periods contribute to agricultural water conservation at the micro and macro level of farming systems.
